Discussion Title: Recycling works

1. Recycling is a good thing. It will contribute solving the ecological crisis and preserving life on earth.
1.1. Con: There are better ways to tackle climate change.
1.1.1. Pro: Incineration might be a better option in some cases. Modern incinerators release [so few pollutants](https://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/13/science/earth/13trash.html) that they are commonly used by [eco-conscious countries](https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/04/opinion/sunday/the-reign-of-recycling.html) in Northern Europe and Japan to generating clean energy.
1.2. Pro: Recycling is a compulsory step in sustainable living.
1.2.1. Pro: One of the [major alternatives](https://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-science/recycling2.htm) to recycling is sending garbage to landfills, which is worse for sustainability.
1.2.2. Con: Living isn't just about using goods.
1.2.3. Pro: Recycling enables [circular economy​](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circular_economy)
1.3. Con: Recycling disengages citizens from using other means of action to solve the global ecological crisis
1.3.1. Pro: Recycling lures people into a sense of false security
1.3.1.1. Pro: Recycling makes people feel like they've accomplished something important in protecting environment even though recycling represents a [minor improvement](https://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-science/recycling6.htm) over landfills or incineration of garbage.
1.3.1.2. Pro: It's often much better for the environment to simply [buy less stuff and look for products that last](https://www.bloomberg.com/quicktake/recycling-crisis).
1.3.2. Con: Most experts [agree](https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2018/10/5-recycling-myths-busted-plastic/) that recycling remains an important way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and conserve significant amount of energy and water.
1.3.3. Pro: Recycling can enable an attitude of 'entitled consumerism'.
1.3.3.1. Pro: People feel like it's OK to purchase and use environmentally harmful products like bottled water because they make up for it by recycling.
1.4. Pro: Recycling can have a number of economic benefits.
1.4.1. Pro: For companies that buy used good, recycle them and resell new products, recycling is the [source of their income.​](https://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-science/recycling2.htm)
1.4.2. Pro: Cities that are densely populated have to pay [large amounts](https://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-science/recycling2.htm) for their landfill usage. For these cities, recycling can save millions of dollars for their municipal budgets.
1.4.3. Pro: [Economic analysis](https://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-science/recycling2.htm) shows that recycling can generate 3 times as much revenue per ton as landfill disposal and almost 6 times as many jobs.
1.4.4. Con: Recycling can cost more money that other forms of waste disposal.
1.4.4.1. Pro: In 2016, it cost New York City [$18 per ton](https://www.bloomberg.com/quicktake/recycling-crisis) more to collect and process recyclables than to dispose of regular refuse.
1.5. Con: Recycling can be inefficient.
1.5.1. Pro: In order to offset the greenhouse impact of one passenger's round-trip flight between New York and London, an individual would have to recycle roughly [40,000 plastic bottles](https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/04/opinion/sunday/the-reign-of-recycling.html). If the passenger is sitting in business or first class however, then the individual would instead have to recycle 100,000 plastic bottles to offset the greenhouse impact.
1.5.2. Pro: Recycling operations have their [own environmental costs](https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/04/opinion/sunday/the-reign-of-recycling.html), such as extra trucks on the road and pollution from recycling operations.
1.5.3. Pro: About a [quarter of everything](https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2018/10/5-recycling-myths-busted-plastic/) consumers place in recycling bins can't be recycled.
1.5.3.1. Pro: Such materials waste [hauling space and fuel and contaminate valuable materials.](https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2018/10/5-recycling-myths-busted-plastic/)
1.5.4. Pro: -> See 1.3.1.2.
1.5.5. Con: Recycling is energy efficient
1.5.5.1. Pro: Aluminium recycling requires only 5% of the energy needed to make it in the first place
1.5.5.2. Con: Not all [recyclates](http://junkremovalslondon.com/recyclates-definition-quality/) are of good-enough quality to allow energy-efficient recycling
1.5.5.2.1. Pro: Some plastics, especially those that are inexpensive to manufacture, can be [difficult to recycle](https://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-science/recycling2.htm) efficiently.
1.5.5.2.2. Pro: Dissipated materials will never be recycled. There is no way we collect used tire rubber spread on the roads, [titanium in universal white paint](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titanium_dioxide), or even collect every single piece of used papers.
1.5.5.3. Pro: Recycling steel uses [less energy](https://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-science/recycling2.htm) than the entire process of mining iron ore, refining it, and forging new steel.
1.5.5.4. Pro: Recycling steel and tin cans saves [60-74% of the energy](https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2018/10/5-recycling-myths-busted-plastic/) needed to make new steel and tins from raw materials.
1.5.6. Pro: Most products that people assume are 'recyclable' can not in fact be broken down and recycled properly.
1.5.6.1. Pro: According to the E.P.A. in 2017 alone, as little as [8.4% of America's discarded plastic](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/09/opinion/recycling-myths.html) was efficiently recycled.
1.5.6.2. Pro: In order for a business to earn a recycling symbol on their product, [60% of people](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/09/opinion/recycling-myths.html) who buy the product should be able to recycle it. However this means that in some cases, at least 40% of people who buy the product don't live in an area that has the recycling facilities to break down the product.
1.5.6.3. Pro: This is often because the laws surrounding what can and can not be considered 'recyclable' are confusing.
1.6. Pro: Recycling avoids extracting new materials
1.6.1. Pro: [Upcycling](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upcycling) materials, ie. creatively reusing them, is steadily gaining popularity.
1.6.1.1. Pro: Upcycling can [ensure the continuation](https://theupcyclemovement.com/) of the life of the object because these objects and materials are being reused instead of being thrown in landfills.
1.6.2. Pro: Plastics are made of raw oil, which is [a resource we need](https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zgx2k2p/revision/1) to conserve.
1.7. Pro: -> See 1.5.5.
1.8. Pro: Recycling will help reduce our negative impact on the environment.
1.8.1. Con: Most recycling programs do [little to help preserve](https://medium.com/\@jonathanusa/everything-you-know-about-recycling-is-wrong-well-most-everything-f348b4ee00fe) the environment and many may do more harm than good.
1.8.1.1. Pro: This is because [relatively little waste](https://medium.com/\@jonathanusa/everything-you-know-about-recycling-is-wrong-well-most-everything-f348b4ee00fe) can actually be recycled.
1.8.1.1.1. Pro: There are [so many types](https://medium.com/\@jonathanusa/everything-you-know-about-recycling-is-wrong-well-most-everything-f348b4ee00fe) of plastic - all with different chemical compositions that can not be recycled.
1.8.1.1.1.1. Pro: If these get into the recycling stream, they will cause [wider contamination](https://www.forbes.com/sites/amywestervelt/2012/04/25/can-recycling-be-bad-for-the-environment/#5853e95f3bec) to the rest of the recyclable products.
1.8.1.1.2. Pro: Most plastic waste is [contaminated](https://medium.com/\@jonathanusa/everything-you-know-about-recycling-is-wrong-well-most-everything-f348b4ee00fe) with paper and ink and can not be recycled.
1.8.1.2. Pro: Processing recycled paper produces a [solid waste sludge](https://medium.com/\@jonathanusa/everything-you-know-about-recycling-is-wrong-well-most-everything-f348b4ee00fe) which ends up in a landfill or incinerator, where its burning can emit harmful by-products.
1.8.1.3. Pro: Countries struggle with the burden of having to recycle items domestically, sometimes taking [short-cuts](https://medium.com/\@jonathanusa/everything-you-know-about-recycling-is-wrong-well-most-everything-f348b4ee00fe) which harm the environment.
1.8.1.3.1. Pro: Approximately [half of the recyclables](https://medium.com/\@jonathanusa/everything-you-know-about-recycling-is-wrong-well-most-everything-f348b4ee00fe) collected in Philadelphia are now incinerated.
1.8.1.3.2. Pro: All of the recyclable material collected at the Memphis International Airport is [sent to a landfill](https://medium.com/\@jonathanusa/everything-you-know-about-recycling-is-wrong-well-most-everything-f348b4ee00fe).
1.8.1.3.3. Pro: Globally, [more plastics](https://www.forbes.com/sites/amywestervelt/2012/04/25/can-recycling-be-bad-for-the-environment/#5853e95f3bec) are now ending up in landfills, incinerators or littering the environments, as countries can no longer ship their recycling away.
1.8.1.3.4. Pro: In England, [more than half a million](https://www.forbes.com/sites/amywestervelt/2012/04/25/can-recycling-be-bad-for-the-environment/#5853e95f3bec) more tons of plastics and other household garbage were burned last year.
1.8.2. Pro: Recycling can reduce our need for landfills
1.8.2.1. Pro: Landfills become [environmental hazards](https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/how-does-recycling-help-the-environment.html) over time by emitting greenhouse gasses and allowing toxins to steep into the soil and water table.
1.8.3. Pro: Recycling stops us extracting new materials.
1.8.3.1. Pro: This can [help reduce deforestation](https://greenliving.lovetoknow.com/How_Does_Recycling_Affect_the_Environment) as forests are regularly cut down for new resources all the time.
1.8.3.1.1. Pro: Forests are [cut to produce pulp](https://greenliving.lovetoknow.com/How_Does_Recycling_Affect_the_Environment) to make new paper.
1.8.3.1.2. Pro: Sourcing new metals such as gold, copper, diamonds and metal ores also [causes deforestation](https://greenliving.lovetoknow.com/How_Does_Recycling_Affect_the_Environment) as these metals are found in rainforest regions.
1.8.3.2. Pro: This helps [reduce the need](https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/how-does-recycling-help-the-environment.html) for mining, quarrying, and logging by reusing already existing products. These are all activities that harshly pollute the air and water.
1.9. Pro: Recycling can draw attention to the climate crisis at large and encourage the implementation of additional solutions.